


Purple Imperfection

by ThatScottishShipper



Series: Writing Rainbow Exchange [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Colours, Cracked Gems, Don’t repost to another site, Episode: s02e11 Cry For Help, Friendship, Gen, Gift Exchange, Insecurity, Purple, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24409033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: Set during “A Cry For Help.” Amethyst sees herself only as inferior around her friends, and her gem a broken rock with no light.But Steven tells her what he sees.*Written for Writing Rainbow Purple.*
Relationships: Amethyst & Steven Universe
Series: Writing Rainbow Exchange [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758739
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8
Collections: Writing Rainbow Make Up Round, Writing Rainbow: Purple





	Purple Imperfection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HandmaidenOfHorror](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HandmaidenOfHorror/gifts).



On a lonely beach, beneath a dying sun, Amethyst checked her gem obsessively. She’d lift her shirt down, check it, cover it back up, only to repeat the cycle immediately after.

The Crystal Gem snorted.  _ ‘Thought that was Pearl’s thing… not like it’s gonna change…’ _

She checked again, frowning at the sight. A cracked purple gem glinted upon her chest, barely glowing the way it used to. Compared to Pearl’s luminous shine and Garnet’s striking radiance, Amethyst was…

_ ‘...A joke.’ _

  
Her short fingers stroked the deep fractures, oblivious to the sunset slowly melting into the ocean. Thankfully, her shirt covered up the worst of the damage, and yet, she still felt exposed, like the whole of Beach City saw it.

A dry chuckle left her as she collapsed backwards. Her lilac hair spread across the golden sand, warmed by the sun soaked grains beneath her. She thought of all the other Amethyst that emerged from the Kindergarden, strengthened by purpose.

But she was late, sleeping for centuries longer until awakening, a blank slate with no agency.

_ ‘Figures. Just an overcooked runt, late to the party.’ _ Amethyst grunted, trying her hardest not to think of the cool, got everything together Garnet, and especially not pretty, perfect Pearl.

_ ‘...still am.’ _

Suddenly, the orange tufts of clouds vanished, and the sky was plunged into darkness. Thick smog like clouds stole colour from the once gentle heavens. Shivering from the loss of heat, Amethyst curled inward, her hands pressed against her broken Gem in an effort to protect it somehow, to keep it… her warm.

Surrounding her, cold as marble, were fragments of the communication tower. Remnants of her destructive power as Sugilite. Amethyst believed in her heart of hearts that she was at fault.

Garnet was balanced, and stable. Amethyst was the irrational and emotional one. It was little wonder their fused self went on the rampage.

And Amethyst was alone, watching Garnet dance with Pearl, to become Sardonyx over and over again.

_ ‘Because I’m… broken.’ _

“Hey, Amethyst?”

Scrambling to sit up, the Crystal Gem saw Steven taking a seat beside her, getting a front row seat to the fabulous carnage only Sardonyx was capable of. Broken chunks of a once proud tower cluttered the beach, cutting off Peridot’s means of surveillance.

She held a hand over her gem, uncomfortable at the sight.

“Hey, Steven.” Amethyst managed, cracking her best fake smile. “How’s it goin’, buddy?”

A tight smile cracked at his lips, and he clasped his hands together, observing the destruction with his friend. Steven glanced over, aware of Amethyst clutching her Gem.

“...I’m good. Are you?”

Her lip trembled. Something about Steven always cracked at any wall she put up, and she hated it. She didn’t want to break, not when she was already vulnerable, and he had enough on his plate.

Steven was too good, too pure.

_ ‘...I’m fine. Just say ‘I’m fine,’ stupid. It’s not like it’s hard.’ _

She bit her lip, then exposed the full circular cut of her gem. “Steven? Whaddaya see?”

When the boy frowned, Amethyst’s greatest fears were confirmed in a heartbeat - that she was broken, imperfect, a useless rock among polished cuts, with no hope.

But instead, she saw Steven smile. He saw the dying dusk’s glow and newborn starlight reflected in the calming purple gem. A source of light only he saw, while Amethyst perceived a cracked stone, much like the debris around them.

“I see you, Amethyst,” Steven finally answered, beaming like the sun. “And I’m happy I do.”

Though her physical body was a manifestation of light, produced from her gem, Amethyst felt… strange. Her chest tightened, her eyes were wet, and a feeling waved across her.

She sniffed, struggling to hold back  _ something _ crawling up her throat, but the smile reached her first. One step, of many little ones, but knowing a hand was held out made the distance seem less big and scary.

“Only for you, bud.”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Writing Rainbow Exchange ~ Purple for HandmaidenOfHorror, and Amethyst from Steven Universe immediately came to mind.
> 
> She’s a character that grew on me over time, with her story of insecurities and self-esteem masked by joking and light-heartedness developing with the show.
> 
> This piece was written with the episode “A Cry For Help” in mind because it always stuck out to me as not only a great character study on Pearl for her actions, but Amethyst in light of everything we know about her. So I wanted to expand a little on what I think she might have felt at that time.
> 
> The symbolism of her broken gem is one that I think will resonate with readers who have struggled accepting parts of themselves. She sees herself as broken, her gem lacking a glow, while Steven sees the beauty there. Often, we find it hard to see in ourselves what shine for others, and Steven would definitely see it.
> 
> And while Amethyst is far from “better,” it’s one of many steps towards rediscovering herself with the right support.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. 💜


End file.
